Watching Slayers and Swords
by Kaat ShadowLover
Summary: *Updated 3/25* Duncan MacLeod has decided to move so guess what town he picks? Sunnydale, where our ever-favorite and gorgeous Watcher lives. This is a slash romance story.
1. Prologue: Moving

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Disclaimer: Obviously, I don't own them. I'm simply borrowing them and I'll put them back where I found them when I'm done, dusted off and everything. I mean, they have to be in good condition when I borrow them again, right?

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Warning: This story is slash. That means relationships and sex of the male/male variety. If this offends you, don't read it. I am planning on putting in one fairly explicit sex scene, but I'll put a warning up if I ever actually get to it. Who knows? I might decide against it.

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Timeline/Author's Note: Feel free to skip this part: I usually do. But for those of you who want to know when this story takes place, keep reading.

The characters are set sometime in the first season, sometime after the computer demon. I'm not paying strict attention to specific episodes, just the general feel of the characters. However, there might be mentions of certain events. I am planning on this story being the first in a series and I might pay more attention to canon later on in other stories, but for now, the characters are what's important. Specifically, Giles. I've loved Giles since the first episode of Buffy I ever saw. Have you noticed he stutters? It's charming. Oh, and I'm ignoring Jenny Calendar except as perhaps an incidental character to be used later on. Giles isn't interested in her. Come on! It's a slash story! Why would he like her when Duncan's around?! J 

In the Highlander universe, this takes place a few years after the whole Ahriman thing, but Richie's still alive. He's just not in this story. Also, O'Rourke never happened and Duncan never cut his hair. This is because I cried when he cut his hair; I loved his hair! I am also ignoring the movie Endgame. Just because it had Duncan in it doesn't make it canon, at least not to me. I really didn't like the portrayal. So, in this story, as in the series, Duncan's never been married.

Reviews would be greatly appreciated, especially as I try to get the rest of the story out of my head and onto my computer screen. Flames are not welcome. All flames will be fed to the dragon, but he's getting kind of fat, so please refrain from sending any.

Watching Slayers and Swords

By Kaat ShadowLover

Prologue:

Duncan surveyed the loft as he stood in the elevator door. It was bare except for the furniture. Everything else had been packed up. He had been in Seacouver for too long, almost fifteen years. It was time to move on. Using his hacking abilities, he had forged a new identity for himself. Though many people thought he didn't know much about computers, in reality he was very skilled. You had to be to survive as an Immortal in this modern world. He had kept his name of course, as he had for the last four hundred years, but other than that there was no connection to his previous life. All the little details had been accounted for; he'd had lots of practice at this after all.

Joe was coming with him of course. After the Galati/Shapiro fiasco, the Watchers no longer said anything about his being friends with his assignment. In fact, they had grudgingly admitted that MacLeod's chronicles had never been so complete. So Joe had sold the bar and was in the process of opening a new place in the town Duncan had picked to start his new life. Mac was joining him tomorrow to help set things up.

Instead of opening another business such as the antique shop or the dojo, Duncan had set up his identity to take his money into account and allow him leeway in the job department. Most Immortals set their backgrounds up similarly. Officially, he had received a large inheritance when his parents had died and he now only worked to keep busy, not for the money. So he'd decided to work at Joe's place as a part-time bartender, much to the bluesman's amusement. He was also planning to apply for a teaching position at a martial arts studio he had found in the town. That would keep him busy and yet still give him plenty of time for other interests.

So Duncan stepped into the elevator one last time, then pulled down the grate and started down on his journey to his new home. He had picked a quiet town in southern California, a place that didn't have any kind of Immortal presence, a town called Sunnydale.


	2. Chapter One: Giles

Chapter One:

Later that month

Giles sighed as he sipped his tea. He was perched on a stool in the school library. Sometimes it seemed as if he never left the place. He was the librarian, but still. A large, unwieldy book on demonology sat on the table in front of him; he was once again researching something to help Buffy fight evil.

It wasn't as if he didn't like his job; in fact he loved it. He had always loved books, from when he had first learned to read. When his father told him of his destiny as a Watcher, he had embraced the idea, throwing himself into research and finding that he truly did enjoy learning of vampires, Slayers, demons, and assorted otherworldly beings and occurrences. When he had finally met his Slayer, he took to her just as readily.

Buffy Summers was a wonderful girl, confident and full of life. She was an extraordinary Slayer as well, full of ability and promise. She wasn't quite like a daughter or a friend, but he certainly loved her as a student. And the two she had taken into her confidence, Xander and Willow, they were always so eager to help, their youthful enthusiasm often sparking his own excitement. As an added bonus, he was no longer completely withdrawn into his books and research.

But something was missing from his life. Part of it was assuredly the fact that the only people he routinely associated with were sixteen-year-olds and usually they only needed his help with a Hellmouth related problem, though Buffy had taken to coming to him for other various forms of advice. He knew that he needed adult companionship, but this was complicated by his job. How could he form a meaningful friendship when he couldn't reveal even the merest details of his life? Even here in Sunnydale, on the edge of the Hellmouth, it was very hard to convince people of the existence of the supernatural. Most would simply regard him as a crackpot if he brought his interests into casual conversation. Hence his isolation from society.

Of course, he thought to himself as he took another sip of the cooling tea, his attention not even remotely on the book he was supposedly reading, perhaps all he needed was a good shag. But that presented it own problems. For Giles was gay, and in a small town such as Sunnydale it was difficult to find suitable partners, most especially if you wanted to remain discreet, which Giles most assuredly did.

Giles jumped slightly, causing the tea to spill onto the table, narrowly missing the book. The cause of his surprise was the library door closing loudly behind a blond teenager as she walked into the room. She tossed her bag into a chair as she moved forward, her eyes searching.

"Giles? Giles, are you here?" As Giles put down the now empty teacup and moved towards the girl from the corner that had blocked her view of him, he heard her mutter to herself, "Of course you're here, where else would you be?" That, of course, just emphasized his previous thoughts. The girl raised her voice again as she once more called out, "Giles?"

"Um, yes, here I am, Buffy." For that was, of course, who the girl was. The young Slayer smiled as she turned towards her mentor. "Great! You said we could do some more weapons training today and for a moment I thought you'd forgotten."

Giles pushed his glasses further up his nose. "No, uh, I did indeed remember. I just hadn't realized the time. Let's get started, shall we?"

Buffy nodded and then waited in a cleared off area of the library while Giles put on his padding. They started with hand to hand and then moved to staffs. The training basically consisted of Giles getting continuously knocked around and Buffy learning new attacks only through clumsy experimentation. Not to say that Buffy herself was clumsy. Far from it. But without someone of greater skill to teach her, she really couldn't learn. Finally, it was Buffy herself who ended the session by throwing her staff to the ground and dropping into a nearby chair. Giles, prone on the floor, took a few deep breaths and then levered himself up and walked over to his young charge.

"Buffy?" His voice was tender. "What's, uh, what's wrong? Why did you stop?"

"Giles, look, it's not like you aren't a great Watcher, because you are! You're wonderful at the research thing and helping me out and all the training that's not fighting, but well"

Giles smiled slightly as he began removing his padding, not much of which had helped cushion his impacts. "But I'm not much help in the physical department. I agree. I think it's time to change tactics."

Buffy looked up in surprise. "You do? But you said it was the Watcher's duty to train the Slayer!"

"It is, but in this case, your skills surpass my ability to teach. So, as your Watcher, I suppose I must ensure that you somehow receive proper training. Do you have any suggestions?"

"Well, um, I didn't want to bring this up, but now that we're talking about it, well," she took a deep breath, "my mom knows I'm into martial arts and there's a place that teaches them in town and she checked them out and said they're really good and she's willing to pay for one or two classes so I thought maybe we could go over and check them out." She gulped in air, having said all that without breathing again.

Giles considered for a moment and then nodded, again pushing his glasses back up. "Yes, I believe that would be a fairly agreeable solution to our problem. We should try to get you individual instruction of course. That is, if we determine them good enough to teach you what you need to know. Too often these schools of, uh, martial arts, do not teach what you would need in your fights."

"Against vampires and demons, got it."

"Yes, uh, and also, we should be careful about not letting slip why you are taking the classes. Perhaps they could teach you some weapons skills that I do not possess, but we can hardly say that you are learning those skills in order to, uh, slay vampires."

Buffy nodded to that last without really hearing it. She had focussed on the part about learning weapons skills. "Well, they should be having classes this evening. Why don't we check the place out?"

"What place are we checking out?" Xander's voice came ringing. He and Willow had just entered the library in their search for Buffy. Usually when he assumed that he was coming along with Buffy, she had to somehow get him to change his mind, as he often wanted to accompany her on dangerous hunts, but this time it should be fun to have friends there with her. So, "To that martial arts place in town! Giles said I should get more training and Mom's willing to pay for a few classes!"

Willow smiled as they all started heading out, looking excited, "I heard about that place. A few of the girls were talking about watching their boyfriends while they were in class."

Xander snickered, interrupting her. "The guys were doing the same thing, only they were watching their girlfriends!"

Willow didn't quite blush, but it came close and she ducked her head a bit, indicating her embarrassment. "There's a new teacher there and I hear he's gorgeous."

Buffy grinned, "Great! You know his name?"

Willow thought, "It was something Scottish. MacBeth or something. MacLeod That's it! Mister MacLeod!


	3. Chapter Two: The Dojo

Chapter Two:

The dojo was located in the basement of a downtown office building. It consisted of a very large, carpeted floor area with a small space in the corner partitioned off for use as an office. There were various weapons displayed on the walls: a wooden staff, several different swords, nunchucks and others. These were interspersed between several woven pictures such as a Tao symbol and a tiger fighting a dragon. The doorway was flanked by two benches up against the wall. Coat hooks were above them and people's shoes lay beneath them. A few parents were sitting, staying out of the way as they watched their own kid participate.

As the quartet walked in, they saw several small groups practicing in different areas of the spacious room. In one corner half a dozen children performed simple katas with an instructor while eight men and women by the opposite wall tried blocking maneuvers on each other. One half of the floor was taken up by the smallest class, who obviously needed the room. Three people were being led in sword katas by one teacher, staying well away from the other two classes. Even practice swords could be dangerous.

Xander's gaze was moving around the room, finding everything of interest, but nothing particularly catching his attention. The other three were all looking at the sword class. Buffy was drawn to the swords themselves and the skill with which they were being wielded. But both Willow and Giles had their eyes glued on the man leading the others through the forms,

Dressed simply in a black t-short with a picture of Celtic knotwork encircling a dragon and some sweatpants, the man was well-muscled and moved with unconscious grace. He had wavy dark hair that, even pulled back in a ponytail, reached his shoulder blades. He was tall and had dark skin, his complexion not tanned so much as golden. His eyes were chocolate brown and, in his concentration with the sword forms and his class, could be seen to hold compassion, humor, wisdom, and pain in their depths. He was sweating slightly from the exertion but compared to his three students, who were all covered with moisture, he could have been simply taking a jog around the block. He had obviously been practicing the art of the sword for a long time; the weapon seemed so much an extension of his own body, that it was hard to imagine him without it.

As Giles and the teens watched the small class practice forms, the adult class moved on to slow exercises and the children's class wrapped up. The kids' instructor made sure all of his charges had someone to go home with, answering a few questions along the way, and then turned towards the four. He was an inch or so shorter than Giles but well built, obviously keeping in shape, and had a shock of short blond hair set around a friendly face. He smiled at them and held out his hand, gaining their attention.

"Hi! I'm Mike Carpenter. I own this place. Sorry about so much going on tonight. Scheduling is really hard during the school year, but tonight's the only time of the week we have this many classes going simultaneously. Did you come to just watch or are you thinking of taking a few classes?"

Willow shook her head slightly, "Classes? Me? I mean, us? Oh no! That is, well, we're here for Buffy."

Giles cleared his throat slightly and Mike turned towards him. "Yes, um, we did come to, uh, check this place out, as you say. Buffy here," and he indicated the girl in question, "requires some more advanced training in fighting techniques. She has completely exhausted my own, admittedly limited, knowledge."

Mike smiled at Buffy, looking her over. "You look fit. I'd have to test your knowledge first before I know which class to put you in."

"Uh, okay, but really, the group thing just doesn't work for me."

Giles pushed his glasses up his nose. "That is to say, uh, we are attempting to look into the possibility of private instruction."

Mike nodded to the librarian, turning back to Buffy, "Well, I'd still want to test you, but for the most part, I leave the negotiations for individual lessons up to the instructor. I did see you eyeing Duncan's class."

Buffy grinned and nodded eagerly as Willow leaned over to Xander, "His name's Duncan," she whispered a little dreamily to her confused-looking friend, who just smiled slightly down at her.

Mike continued on, not noticing the exchange. "He's only been here a few weeks but I've never seen a better martial artist and he's even better with the sword. I let him take over both my sword classes as soon as I hired him. What I do for private classes is charge a flat fee for use of the space and let the instructor determine payment and schedule. Sound good?"

All four nodded, Buffy saying "Definitely!" She was thinking about how to incorporate a sword, or maybe a long dagger, into her Slaying. Steel might not hurt vampires, but decapitation killed them as surely as stakes. Mike smiled at them and nodded back. "Great! As soon as his class is over, I'll introduce you to Duncan and then we can get to the business of finding out where your skill levels lie."

Giles agreed, murmuring quietly, "I think you'll find them quite satisfactory. Impressive even."

Mike simply cocked an eyebrow at the man, saying nothing. He was used to parents, or guardians in this case apparently, who believed their children to be prodigies and wouldn't believe otherwise. As for himself, he would wait and see.

The group sat on the benches as the pupils from the second class filed out, some making later plans with each other, others hurrying to get home. The sword class had moved into their closing exercises and Giles could not tear his eyes from the figure of Duncan. Surely this was the gorgeous MacLeod Willow had mentioned taught here. But like any good researcher, Giles would wait until he had facts, not supposition, even if it were just about the man's name.

Perhaps ten more minutes passed as Duncan wrapped up the class, speaking a little with each of his students, offering praise and pointers, and then sending them on their way. As the last one walked out the door, Mike strode up to him, the others trailing behind. The man was putting his sword away. It was a practice blade, with a dull edge and blunted point for safety, but he was setting it back in its place with the respect most would give only to a true, deadly weapon.

"Duncan, these folks would like to talk to you."

Duncan smiled and Giles hardly noticed Buffy's mouth quirking in admiration or Willow's small sigh of longing, as he was quite sure his knees were melting and he wondered how he was managing to stand.

"I saw them come in. I'm Duncan MacLeod," he introduced himself and a very faint Scottish accent could be detected in his words, at least by Giles, whose British accent was admittedly not faint. "What can I do for you, ladies, gentlemen?"

Giles wasn't sure he could get even a recognizable word out of his mouth but luckily he didn't have to quite yet. Mike took over, explaining the situation. Duncan listened quietly, giving Buffy an appraising glance that somehow Giles knew told him more about her abilities than Mike's similar, earlier appraisal had. Finally, Duncan agreed and they all moved to the small office area, which turned out to be equipped with a small desk and computer, to work out the details.

The schedule was fairly easy. They settled for twice a week, Mondays and Thursdays, at seven in the evening. That allowed Duncan to be done with his other job, which turned out to be bartending. On those days he happened to work afternoons. It also allowed for Buffy's extracurricular activities, which usually didn't start until nine at night or later. These were two times when the dojo was not already in use, which suited the Slayer just fine. No sense in others seeing what she could do. Duncan didn't charge much. In fact, the hourly fee for using the dojo space was higher. Buffy's mother would certainly be able to afford this. They decided that Duncan, instead of Mike, would test her abilities and he would do so at her first lesson, which would be the next night, a Thursday.

The Slayer and her friends walked out satisfied and talking about whether or not Xander and Willow would go to watch Buffy train. Well, Xander wanted to watch Buffy and Willow wanted to watch Duncan, though both said that they just enjoyed seeing her skills on display without the added danger of a vampire attack. Giles walked slightly behind the teenagers, his mind still in the dojo, on a pair of brown eyes that had seemed to him to sparkle with an inner light and knowledge.


	4. Chapter Three: Training

Chapter Three:

Duncan unlocked the dojo with the keys Mike had trusted him with in his second week in Sunnydale. He was looking forward to teaching this new student, Buffy Summers, for several reasons. She was serious about learning martial arts fighting skills, that was certain. He could tell from the look in her eyes as she had watched his class. Such an enthusiastic student was always a pleasure. She was mortal, which meant that he would be able to enjoy simply training her without worrying about her survival. The way she moved suggested that she'd already had quite a lot of training as well as, he suspected, some real life experience

These were all reasons he looked forward to teaching Buffy but mostly, he was hoping that the man who had come with her to the dojo the previous night would come again to see how she did. Duncan thought that perhaps he would; he had seemed protective of her as well as determined that she receive the best possible training. Well, they couldn't look for a more experienced teacher, except among Duncan's own kind. The man had introduced himself as Rupert Giles, and though the teens with him had referred to him simply as Giles, Duncan thought the name Rupert suited him admirably.

Duncan's friends often teased him for being a lady's man, but after four hundred years he no longer cared about the package, but about the person. In fact, he had learned that lesson before he even turned fifty. True, he liked beauty, but it was not a deciding factor in whom he chose to pursue. He'd had many relationships with men in his life and enjoyed most of them. Often, discretion was advisable and that had contributed to the fact that many of his liaisons with other men had not been recorded in his chronicles. In fact, Duncan was quite amused at just how much of his life the supposedly observant Watchers had missed. While he had indeed informed Joe of many details from his past that had previously gone unrecorded, there were just as many that he kept silent on.

This Giles fascinated him. Duncan had a good feel for people most of the time and Giles seemed to have hidden depths which drew the Immortal and made him want to get to know the man better, perhaps intimately. He was honest with himself: hopefully intimately. Even if Giles was not interested in a relationship he seemed to be the type of person that Duncan enjoyed the company of and easily made friends with. So as Duncan put aside his jacket and started to stretch, he had high hopes for the evening, both in the form of his new student and in her mentor.

Buffy and her friends walked through the dojo door, laughing about something that had apparently happened in school that day. Giles trailed in after them, looking slightly preoccupied. Duncan wondered what he was thinking of, the distracted look on his face was quite charming, but he turned his attention, albeit somewhat reluctantly, away from the librarian and towards his student, Buffy.

She was dressed in a purple patterned leotard and jeans. The jeans were the special kind made to be used by martial artists to perform kicks without tearing the crotch of the pants. Duncan had several pairs himself, though right now he was wearing a simple dark blue t-shirt and gray sweatpants. He believed in training in comfortable, but everyday clothing. After all, how many times would someone need fighting skills while dressed in a gi or those spandex exercise clothes that were all the rage?

"All right Buffy, we'll start by finding out how much you know and deciding on what exactly I'll be teaching you. You three, feel free to just sit and watch if you want." He smiled at them as he said that and noticed that Willow reacted to his smile by blushing very slightly. He was not arrogant about his looks but neither was he unobservant of the effects he sometimes caused in others. However, the high school girl was not the one he wished to cause a reaction in. He eyed Giles covertly, but the man was good at masking his emotions and Duncan couldn't tell if he'd noticed that the smile had been aimed at him or not. Well, he'd certainly have more chances later.

Watching her performance with a critical eye, he started Buffy out on a few simple exercises and then began increasing the difficulty. It appeared that she did not have quite as much formal training as he had first suspected, but her practical applications of the skills were very good. Perhaps she wanted extra training because she got into lots of fights. Richie certainly had at that age.

Duncan then started attacking her to get a feel for her defensive skills and had her come at him a few times to test her offensive ones. She was incredible! Especially for her age. Few mortals, besides the ones who had devoted their lives to training, could match an Immortal in sheer fighting skill, and yet Buffy, as young as she was, was able to counter his attacks efficiently, had a few innovative ones of her own, and even managed to throw him twice. Certainly, he was not going all out with her in a simple practice session but still, she was impressive.

Duncan also noticed that she seemed a little puzzled. He glanced over at the three watching them and saw that the two teens were also surprised while Giles looked both slightly shocked and contemplative. Duncan deduced that they had all expected Buffy to do better against him. She was certainly both skilled and strong. In fact, Buffy seemed almost abnormally strong for a girl her age, but perhaps she simply worked out a lot. She was certainly in incredible shape. But still, she needed a lot more experience to be able to match him. He had been fighting for his life for the past four hundred years after all and most of that time had been nowhere near as civilized as the modern era. Duels of honor were not just a quaint historical fact to him, they were memories.

Duncan used the remaining time of the lesson to tighten Buffy's form in preparation for teaching her some more advanced techniques. When they were finished he walked with her over to her friends, who had all stood, getting ready to leave. "You're an incredible fighter, Buffy, especially for someone your age. Now, you mentioned that you wanted to learn the sword, correct?" Buffy nodded, smiling eagerly.

"Okay, how about this. On Mondays, I'll start you with the sword and on Thursdays we'll work on some advanced unarmed combat." When Buffy agreed, he smiled broadly and put his jacket on. "Great! Now, we're going to be doing some fairly intensive training together so we might as well get to know each other better. I know you've got to be hungry." He addressed this to the whole group. When were teens not hungry? "How about we all go out for a late snack and talk. My treat. I just moved here about a month ago and I'd like to know the people here." This time, though he doubted the kids noticed, his smile was specifically directed at Giles, who smiled back a bit hesitantly, seemingly a little surprised when he realized the expression was meant for him.

The three teenagers appeared to have one of those nonverbal conversations that no adult anywhere ever understood and then they all agreed to the plan. Free food was not something to be turned down and besides, they were all obviously curious about him. Giles simply nodded. They all headed out and Duncan locked up. Then he started to lead them to Joe's new place which was only a few blocks away.


	5. Chapter Four: Joe's

Chapter Four:

Joe's new place was called Observations, a play on his job as a Watcher. It had a bar on one side with a dozen or so tables set up in the middle of the floor. On the other half of the room there was a stage and an empty space intended for dancing. Joe Dawson was not a man to come into a situation without first doing the necessary research and he had found that Sunnydale sorely lacked a decent nightlife. He intended to fill that gap.

Observations was mainly aimed towards adults, since the only place in town was a teenage club. But he also realized that a lot of teenagers would probably check out this new alternative to the Bronze, previously their only possible hangout. Therefore, Joe had impressed upon the bartenders, three people besides himself and Duncan, and on the wait staff, five people who switched off the night and day shifts, the importance of both carding customers and simply observing them to make sure the bar didn't serve anyone underage. MacLeod especially had been talked to about this, much to the older man's amusement. Not that Duncan would knowingly break the law, but he had grown up in a time when teenagers were treated as adults, including being allowed to drink, and the new, to him, laws about minority were at times confusing to the Immortal and Joe realized this.

Dawson was on the bar by himself and had sent his single waitress home since the busy time of the night was over, though he hoped that as people got used to the place, they'd stay later. So he was the one to Duncan MacLeod walk in with three teenagers in tow, as well as a man who appeared to be an academic. They all headed to one of the bigger tables. Dawson started over to them, moving slowly on his leg prosthetics.

"MacLeod! You got off work already. What are you doing back here?"

Duncan smiled at his approaching friend. "Hey Joe. I just couldn't stay away. Everyone, this is my friend, Joe Dawson. He owns the place. Joe, this is Buffy Summers, Willow Rosenburg, Xander Harris, and Rupert Giles." He indicated each person as he introduced them. Joe, who prided himself on knowing his Immortal, noticed that Duncan's gaze lingered slightly on the scholar, Giles.

"Pleased to meet you folks. What can I get you?"

"We can in for a late snack, Joe."

"I've got some wings in the back I can cook up for you in a few minutes."

The teens, who, true to the laws of nature, were the hungriest, eagerly agreed. Then they went around the table with drink orders. Buffy and Willow both opted for sodas, Duncan asked for a Guiness and Giles followed suit, apparently surprising the teens, if their expressions were any indication. Then Xander asked for a Guiness as well and the girls hid their giggles behind their hands as Joe stared intently at him.

"Kid, who do you think you're fooling? You've got a few years left before you can start destroying your liver. How about a coke?"

Xander agreed, grumbling good-naturedly, but he obviously hadn't actually waned the beer and had just intended to be funny. Joe went off to get the drinks and Duncan excused himself for a few minutes to help carry them over. The table erupted in whispers; the teens had noticed Joe's legs, or lack of, and were speculating on how it had happened.

Theories ranged from a flesh-eating zombie to another bug-woman who had been interrupted before she could finish consuming her mate. This continued until Giles mildly pointed out that Joe had only just moved to Sunnydale and that in other places mundane explanations were much more prominent than supernatural ones. The discussion died down as Duncan brought the drinks over and placed them in front of people. He had noticed the three's interest and leaned forward conspiratorially. "It happened in Vietnam and you'll have to ask Joe for more details."

Giles smiled to himself at the children's expressions. While they themselves fought a kind of war against the forces of darkness, it was more a series of unrelated skirmishes and this was the first exposure they'd had to the consequences of actual human warfare. He sipped at his pint and watched as Duncan interacted with the teens. He noticed how Duncan allowed him to sit and observe without trying to draw him into the conversation as many people often did. He appreciated the courtesy as it allowed him to think about his reactions to the man.

The librarian admitted that he would be lying to himself if he said that Duncan didn't affect him. The man had incredible presence and Giles felt himself drawn to the friendly Scot. He had indeed noticed the frequent looks Duncan directed his way and the smiles that appeared to be meant for him alone. Giles certainly hoped he was interpreting correctly, but even if he wasn't, Duncan MacLeod was well worth having a few wishful thoughts about.

Giles' musings were interrupted by the arrival of a large plate of buffalo wings. The three teenagers jumped in. Duncan grabbed one for himself, ate it rather quickly, and then sat back and watched the melee with amusement. He turned to Giles with a smile and cocked his eyebrow to ask if he wanted a wing. Giles shook his head and smiled back. So, in silence they both watched the three friends devour the food and Giles was quite pleased when he felt a large hand rest on his knee. He made no attempt to remove it and so it stayed until the group was ready to leave.


	6. Chapter Five: Questions

Chapter Five:

The next few weeks, Duncan started to court Giles. Buffy trained with Duncan on Mondays and Thursdays, Giles coming along to watch. After the lessons, Buffy would head off to patrol the town and the men would head to Observations to talk over a drink. They found that they had a great deal to talk about. They were both well-educated and interested in a variety of topics.

Duncan enjoyed drawing Rupert out of his shell, glimpsing the man that hid underneath, the man that Duncan began to feel that he was falling in love with. Giles was warm, humorous, intelligent, and the outer package was just as attractive as the inner one. The Immortal worried that Giles appeared to have no other adult friends in Sunnydale. He had apparently moved into town just a few months before Duncan himself had arrived, and yet Duncan had managed to meet quite a few people and Giles seemed to spend all his time in his library and with his students. Teenagers were not what Duncan thought of as ideal social companions.

It worried him too, that sometimes Giles just couldn't be found. Duncan would show up at the man's house, check out the school library, but Rupert would be elsewhere. While Duncan had inquired about this, Giles had gently yet firmly informed him that this was none of his business. But there was always a lingering hint of sadness and loneliness in his eyes when he said it.

The end of the school year was approaching. Duncan had listened to Buffy complain during their lesson about studying for finals and then had listened to Giles voice similar thoughts later that night. Only Giles' complaint was about all the students in the library who were studying for finals. Apparently they were messing up his organization. Duncan was, after all these years, a keen enough observer of human nature to know that something else was bothering both of them. And right after the lesson, as Buffy headed off to wherever it was she went at night, Rupert had stared off after her with sorrow in his eyes. It was beginning to make the Scotsman suspicious, though he kept telling himself that it was simply due to the fact that he'd finally found a place that seemed far away from the Game and he wasn't used to it yet.

In fact, he'd had a strange feeling since moving to this place, but he couldn't place what it was. It felt vaguely like when he'd fought Ahriman, but nowhere near as concentrated, more diffuse. As if the feeling was just some general warning but not aimed precisely at himself. Whatever it was, Duncan had yet to figure out a cause and he wasn't one to hide from possibilities. So he ignored the feeling as much as he could, was as watchful as ever, and continued on with his life.

One evening, knowing that Giles was probably still holed up in the library, Duncan headed over to the high school, determined to drag his quasi-boyfriend away from work for at least this one night. As he neared the school, he saw people walking towards it as if in a trance and that feeling of danger skyrocketed. These people weren't human, they were something he hadn't encountered in over a century. What were vampires doing at Sunnydale High?

Exiting his car, Duncan withdrew his sword from the sheath in his coat lining and walked in the front entrance, ready for battle. Rupert and the children would need him. He stalked the corridors alertly but was still surprised when he came to the library hallway. A car had plowed through the wall and was parked in front of the double doors. Trying to get into those doors were about a dozen vampires. Duncan could see a makeshift barricade blocking the way in, but it wouldn't hold up for long.

He ran the remaining distance and immediately began swinging his sword. He knew that vampires could be killed by decapitation and wasn't it lucky that that was something he excelled at. He was surprised that the vampires he killed exploded into dust, that had never happened before, but he continued until all the attackers were reduced to such a state.

A girl he'd never met, a pretty brunette, had watched with wide eyes as he dispatched the vampires and then, after only a moment's hesitation, began clearing the barricade to let him in. She obviously realized that he would be of better help inside the library. He pushed through as soon as he could. There were screams coming from the stacks and it was Duncan's turn to stare with shocked eyes at the monster that arose from the hole in the library's floor.

Shock stilled him for less than a second as he saw the creature snap one set of its jaws at Giles. Duncan immediately ran over and slashed at the thing with his sword. Giles turned questioning eyes towards him but knew that this was not the time for questions. That was when the ceiling shattered.

The vampire fell through the skylight and landed on a jagged piece of broken wood that acted as a stake. Like the others, he turned to ash, but this one did so slowly as if fighting his fate. His fight was in vain and all that was left, unlike the other vampires, was a skeleton. With the vampire's death, the monstrous creature was pulled by some force back into the hole it came from and there was silence. The battle was over, though Duncan still had questions about what he had been battling.

Wiping his blade clean, Duncan waited for Buffy, whom he'd spotted through the skylight, to come join them, along with Xander and another young man he didn't know. Giles, Willow, and the brunette were silent as well, nobody really knowing what to say. Until Buffy walked into the room, flanked by the two males, took one look around her, and said, "Giles? What's Duncan doing here with a sword?"

Giles cleared his throat, swallowed, then took off his glasses to wipe them with his jacket corner. "Um, well, saving my life, but beyond that, I'mnot entirely certain. Duncan? I-I suppose I should explain a few things."

MacLeod grinned and shrugged, "Oh, aye, I've got questions, and the first is, why are you all fighting vampires? That's a dangerous hobby."

He could feel all eyes on him as he continued to gaze at Giles, a small smile playing on his lips as he did so. They seemed shocked. Why? That he knew what they'd been fighting? Of the fight itself? It certainly wasn't something you saw everyday. Perhaps it was his skill and the fact that he had a sword, which was also quite unusual for this time period. Whatever it was, he waited patiently for answers.

They came from an unexpected source, the tall young man who had entered with Buffy and Xander. He seemed both wary and confident as he stepped forward, eyeing Duncan's sword. "You know about vampires? Are you a hunter then?"

Duncan shook his head, "Why would I be? If they leave me in peace, I return the favor."

Now that statement started up all manner of interesting comments, mostly in regards to how could he do that? When did he learn of vampires? And didn't he know they were evil?

Duncan shook his head and chuckled at that last one. "The potential for evil is in all of us. I know. And we can choose whether we act on that impulse or not, vampire or no."

Angel looked slightly relieved though Buffy seemed skeptical. Giles, who had returned his glasses to his face, frowned in thought. "Very well, we'll leave off that question for now, but what about the rest? You just happened to have a sword with you as you came here?"

Duncan realized that he would have to reveal at least a little of what he was to them. He knew he could trust Giles and had a good feeling about Buffy, Willow, and Xander. But the other two he hadn't met.

"The answer deals in things better kept secret. How do I know I can trust everyone here?"

The man he didn't know stepped forward a little. "Well, I've trusted them all with my life, with the fact that I'm a vampire. I trust them not to suddenly stake me." Duncan nodded, knowing that this was the ultimate in trust for a vampire, just as for Immortals: letting Mortals know what they were.

Apparently Angel's revelation was expected to be met with hostility because Willow chimed in immediately. "You don't have to worry about him. He's a good vampire. He has a soul."

Duncan quirked an eyebrow. "I didn't realize a soul was a qualification for good and I don't understand how it matters that a vampire has one, but I do understand how difficult it is to trust Mortals with your secrets, your weaknesses. Of course, that depends on your age. Young ones are often foolish."

There were chuckles at that statement and the vampire smiled very slightly. "I'm two hundred and forty years old." He waited, as if expecting Duncan to act impressed, shocked, something. He obviously did not expect MacLeod's answer.

"Then I suppose you've lived long enough to develop good sense. I had when I was your age."

Giles' eyes widened behind his glasses. "When you were his age? You're older? Then you can't be human. What are you?"

Buffy moved forward in a defensive posture, as if your teacher had suddenly become a threat. The ripped prom dress she wore did nothing to undermine how dangerous the girl could be. "What kind of demon are you?"

This time it was Duncan's eyes that went wide. "Demon? You think I'm a demon? Of course, given that you seem to hunt vampires and just had thatcome out of your floor, I guess I shouldn't be surprised. No, Buffy, I'm not a demon. I'm an Immortal."

No one showed the least signs of understanding except for Giles, who actually scoffed. "Impossible. That's a legend. Immortal humans just do not exist. They're j-just stories created by encounters with vampires and such."

Xander nodded, "And he should know. He's the researchy Watcher guy."

"Watcher?" Duncan's eyes narrowed, he stepped forward quickly and grasped Giles' left hand, lifting it up and over so he could get a glimpse of the inside of the wrist. There was no tattoo. Everyone seemed quite surprised at his action and Buffy, who had been in the process of jumping at him to protect Giles, arrested her movement when he just as suddenly released the man.

"I don't understand." Duncan shook his head at them. "I'm the only Immortal in town and Joe is my Watcher. Why are you here? And if you are a Watcher, why are you surprised at what I am?"

It was the brunette who spoke now and the way she spoke indicated that she was one of those spoiled, popular girls who seemed to be in every school. Duncan had taught quite a few of them. "There's another Watcher in town? But I didn't see any stuffy old British guys."

Giles sighed as the rest rolled their eyes. "Not all Watchers are "stuffy old British guys," Cordelia. And I was not aware that another was in town. The Council would have no reason to send one after all."

Stepping forward, it was the vampire who tried to resolve the confusion. "It sounds like you two are talking about different things. Duncan? That's your name?" Duncan nodded. "I'm Angel. Maybe you could explain what you mean?"

So MacLeod gave an abbreviated version of the story of Immortals. None of his listeners interrupted, laughed, or denied what he said. Giles, who seemed to have at least heard of his kind before, acted as if a great revelation was occurring right before him, the discovery of a new species that everyone thought was myth which, if what he said meant anything, was exactly what was happening.

When Duncan finished his story and even gave a small demonstration of his healing ability by running the palm of his hand across his sword blade, Buffy took up the tale and explained about the Slayer, the Watchers, and the Hellmouth. The Immortal was a little stunned. After all, he knew about vampires and he had fought a demon, and a rather powerful one if the ones Buffy described were average, but an entire world hidden from the knowledge of most people? Immortals hid their world too, so he could accept that, but at least Immortals were human, albeit ones that couldn't die. This Hellmouth, that he was apparently living right next to, had all manner of creatures running around that no one took notice of. It was remarkable.

When the explanations wound down, it was obvious that everyone was tired. Buffy, content now that Duncan could be trusted with the knowledge of what went on in Sunnydale, even if he might not actively help them, suggested that they all go celebrate the death of the vampire she called the Master. The others chimed in, noting that a dance was currently going on at the Bronze. Giles and Duncan looked at each other and both smiled and then agreed to come. Duncan knew that Rupert wouldn't turn away from him because of what he was and the Watcher was beginning to realize that perhaps he had actually found someone with whom he could share the stranger aspects of his life. They held hands as the group proceeded out of the demolished library, acting like the teenagers they were with.


End file.
